Shawntaye Hopkins

Civic leaders across the country have organized Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Day celebrations—from marches to musical performances—to recognize the civil rights activist today, the third Monday in January. Each celebration is different. Similarly, each state can tell a different story about the origins of the holiday. Some states, in fact, even call the holiday by a slightly different name, recognizing Confederate leader Robert E. Lee on the same day or honoring all individuals who have fought for justice.

During a recent CSG eCademy webcast, two judicial experts described how the U.S. state and federal court systems work and how court decisions impact state governments. “Federalism and the U.S. Judicial Branch” was the third and final presentation in a series of webcasts about federalism’s impact across the branches.

The importance of ensuring effective teacher preparation programs, or TPPs, continues to be an issue of significant interest to state policymakers. As the focus of teacher education increasingly shifts from training to preparing, several states are undertaking new approaches to identifying and promoting successful TPPs. Louisiana and Tennessee have developed statewide systems that track the academic growth of a teacher’s P-12 students back to the preparation program from which that teacher graduated. This webinar focused on strategies by Southern states to ensure teachers are well-prepared for the classroom.